When Jane Hirshfield spoke of fall through her beautiful poem called “The Heat of Autumn,” she noted an interesting fact. She said “The heat of autumn is different than the heat of summer. One ripens apples, the other turns them to cider. “ This is a perfect illustration of Teshuvah. It is all about maturing under the guidance of God’s seasonal blessings. He has blessed us with all that we need to live a prosperous and productive life. Yet, it is how we mature that makes this happen. Thus, the idea of Teshuvah.
GOD MAKES US FRUITFUL
God comes into our spirit and makes us fruitful. He takes residence inside our hearts. This often happens as we observe Teshuvah in Elul. We are a product of faith, hope, love and all the blessings of salvation. In those beginnings of salvation, we are like a new apple falling from a tree. The world can experience a whole new flavor because of God’s Holy Spirit living inside of us. No apple is the same. It is wonderful to be fruitful and to be a part of God’s great harvest.
While ripened as fruit and picked from the tree, we might still be sitting in that bushel basket. Our purpose may not be complete. As other apples leave the basket, we rejoice with them. Those become the summer blessings of others. However, we are still there, in that bushel basket, gathering dust and waiting.
WAITING IN THE BASKET
Our fruit might be more useful to God if we wait. Patiently growing is to become a product of the fall. What will the maker of all recipes decide to do with who we are?
We are thankful that part of our work has been done. We have ripened in the sun. God has moved us from the tree to the basket. What will He do with us now? We have grown from that little seed to a piece of fruit. Still; there is more work for us to do.
While patiently waiting in the bushel basket, we have been observing. Time has been spent meditating. We’ve been pondering all the things God has shown us about life. The time in the basket is a time of waiting in silence. It is about truly listening. The purpose is about actually hearing what God wants from us. We can’t be fully fruitful until we have heard from Him. So, we wait patiently in the basket,. While there we are pondering all that has transpired during the last year. God ripened our fruit. We were picked from the tree. Now we are waiting to be transformed into something new for The Kingdom of God.
THE PRUNING
Now is time to notice those little spots and blemishes. They have keep us from being tasty. We must remove them to become useful. How many of these do we have? We must address them one at a time. That good farmer takes out the well-ripened fruit. He cuts away the brown spots. Patiently he removes all the imperfections.
We go through a process of being ripe, but being pruned. Inside and outside we are checked for bruises, bugs, worms and cuts. With the farmer’s gentle help, those places are restored. Only the good remains.
Then the farmer washes us. Next he peels us. Then he stores us in fresh, clean water for a while. All of this process purifies us. Each part of the process makes us better. However, for a little while the farmer will again set us upon a shelf. He stores us in a jar and ponders the best thing to do with our type of fruit.
PROCESSING TO PERFECTION
So, we get to move from the basket to the shelf. Now we are clean and lighter. All of the things that would keep us from being delicious have been cut out. What is left in this time of the fall is now ready to be processed to perfection.
Now is the time for us to go through the process which He has chosen for us. It involves crushing and crushing isn’t ever an easy process. It hurts. This crushing will help us to last longer than the apples that were picked off the tree and eaten right away. The crushing will make cider and cider can last a long time. This crushing will make us much better in the end.
So, we see the apples of this season of Teshuvah are involved in a process. They go through stages of ripening which involve crushing to bring out the juices of cider. Sitting inside the bushel basket until the time is right is just the first part of that process God will use to turn apples into delicious, cider. Teshuvah begins when we leave the basket and become crushed. It is the crushing that brings forth the cider. The farmer adds sugar and spices that help us to taste just right.
VISION FROM THE CRUSHING
Teshuvah continues as we are peeled and cleaned and prepped for greater things. We are different in this stage of Teshuvah than when we waited patiently in the basket. Now, God shows us His vision. Our destiny is revealed to us. We realize we will be cider one day. This gives us hope for the future. This period of waiting helps us to see that we can become useful to the Kingdom.
The maker of all recipes has a perfect recipe for making cider. After the waiting, the pruning, the cleaning, the washing, and the crushing, he adds some new and special ingredients. These ingredients will make us better. They will give us a unique flavor and a perfect blend for cider. The farmer lets all of the special ingredients cook. They seep inside of us in this next stage of Teshuvah. Later, when the fruit of our lives is cooked, it will reach the right temperatures. Soon it can be made into this year’s refreshing cider. However, during this stage the farmer is testing us. He checks our flavor over-and-over. One day the farmer will smile. The testing will be over. He will say “Well done, I am pleased with this fruitfulness!” What a day that will be. At that point we will move on into our season of joy.
So, if you haven’t been picked for the summer table yet, don’t worry. God is about to bring us into the season and process of Teshuvah. It begins every month of Elul. He has many plans for making the best cider ever. We will start when the landscape of the farm begins to turn vivid colors and change along with us.
PREPARE FOR JOY
I highly suggest that you decide to go through the waiting, pruning, crushing, seasoning and cooking. The final results will be worth all of your patience and endurance. On the other end of this process of Teshuvah is the season of joy. It is the time when everyone sips their hot cider in peace and contentment with those that they love. You will be an important part of this season. It is a blessed time of joy, so let your cider simmer. It’s time is coming, and the joyfulness will be beyond measure.
I hope you are ready for Teshuvah this year. If you want more Teshuvah meditations to use during the month of Elul, why not order Gail Landgraf’s book called CHRISTIAN MEDITATIONS FOR ELUL? Now is the time to begin to get ready for the coming season. These devotions will be very helpful. The lovely book can be ordered by following this link: https://amzn.to/4mECS7U. It is packed full of useful and thought provoking meditations. The reading will help you enjoy the whole process. It will prepare your heart for the great season of joy that is coming later this fall.